Clamshell Alley: A Maine Coast Garden Built for Salt, Fog, and Deer

Massachusetts landscape architect Matthew Cunningham grew up in Maine. When Texas-based clients asked him to design a garden for their new summer house in Lamoine—1.5 acres, waterfront, neighbors literally pine trees—he knew the challenges: extreme temperatures, salt air, fog, rampant deer. The clients wanted to live lightly on the land. “From the moment I stepped on the site I had a vision,” Cunningham says. The result: an ode to Maine—colorful, tough, sustainable.

Plant Palette for Extremes

Hardy perennials: catmint, salvia, Russian sage, lilac, peony, lady’s mantle. “They handle salt air, low maintenance—cut back once a year, they’re happy.” No irrigation system; spot-water for a season or two until deep roots establish.

Silvery Foliage for Temperature Swings

Russian sage, salvias, artemisia—silvery-leaved plants that take extreme temperatures. Cunningham’s mother-in-law in Utah’s high desert grows similar plants with identical performance.

Pet-Durable Design

The clients’ French bulldog loves Frisbee and fetch—the garden had to withstand play.

Unified Hardscape

All hardscaping—retaining wall, pathways, French drain—uses the same reclaimed granite and fieldstone, irregular shapes for a loose, barefoot, authentic Down East feel. A drip strip of river stones protects the facade (no gutters).

Fire Pit and Woodpile as Art

Irregular reclaimed granite slabs pinwheel from a center slab in the lawn—no moving chairs to mow. A granite wall “floats” for overflow seating at lobster feeds. Granite piers organize the woodpile: “Why hide utilitarian elements? Make them part of the atmosphere.”

North Side Woodland

Mature maples create dappled shade. Hay-scented fern (aggressive, adaptive, sun/shade, moisture/drought) with bayberry and blueberries. Autumn turns buttery yellow against red blueberry foliage.

Clamshell Driveway

Crushed clamshells pave the drive—first season has odor, then sun bleaches to soft white pulverized shells, easy to replenish.

The landscape orients toward the water, maximizing views. A garden that belongs to its place.